


Warren One Shots

by esmehoe



Category: the conjuring - Fandom
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Fluff, Married Couple, Paranormal Investigators, Paranormal events, Possible smut, The Conjuring
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-01-06 08:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18385031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esmehoe/pseuds/esmehoe
Summary: One shots of the Warren family from the conjuring universe.





	1. Chapter 1

Judy Warren was no stranger to nightmares. They were common but usually harmless, silly little things like ghouls and goblins that her six year old mind would create to frighten her.

Judy knew there was nothing to truly be afraid of, her dad had told her time and time again that if her mind had the power to create scary things, she also had the power to make them go away.

She knew it was all in her head. But sometimes she couldn't help the way her palms would start to sweat and the way she couldn't get her heart to return to it's normally calm pace as she prayed for sleep.

She was a big girl she told herself and big girls aren't afraid of their own nightmares.

But her motivating words didn't help. She wanted her parents.

She knew she wasn't supposed to get out of bed unless it was an emergency but this was an emergency! She was scared and she needed the comfort that only her parents were capable of giving.

She slowly lifted her covers and stepped out of her baby pink bed. Goosebumps appeared on her tiny arms as her feet touched the cold floor. She walked over to her bedroom door and silently peaked down the hall into the direction of her parents room.

She knew they would be sleeping, they had just gotten back from a case that night and they were always tired when they get back from a case. She knew she probably shouldn't disrupt her parents sleep but she was already out of the door and there was no going back now.

As she walked down the hallway, strategically skipping over the floorboards that she knew would squeak, she passed by her parents artifact museum.

She hated that thing.

She wasn't sure why she had such a strong feeling about the room, maybe it was because her parents were so adamant that she was never to enter the room or maybe it was because they could never find a way to stop the door from squeaking every time it was opened or shut.

Either way she couldn't decide why she hated the room so much, she knew that hate was a very bad word and she shouldn't use it to describe things but that was the only word she could think of for the ominous room.

She hurriedly ran passed the room as a shiver ran down her spine as she realized she'd been staring at the door for far too long.

She quickly found herself in front of her parents shut door. All the sudden she was nervous.

She knew her parents would understand that she was scared but she could never help the nervousness that flowed through her veins every time she woke up her parents to announce that she had, had a bad dream.

She placed her tiny hand on the door knob and as slowly as humanly possible twisted it as to not make any noise.

She poked her head inside and saw the reassuring image of her parents peacefully sleeping.

Her mother was curled into her fathers side as his arms rest firmly around her, instinctively protecting her, even in his unconscious state.

Judy slowly stepped into the room and approached her mother, she watched her for a few seconds and her chest rose and fell rhythmically.

The sight was so calming that for a sparse second she believed that she had built up enough courage to go back to her own room, but one look into the dark hallway had her dismissing the idea completely.

She placed her hand on her mother's shoulder; softly attempting to shake her awake.

"Mommy." Judy said in a soft whine. Lorraine being a light sleeper was fluttering her crystal blue eyes open in a instant, ready to help her daughter at all times.

"What is it honey?" Lorraine asked groggily, still not completely awake.

"I had a bad dream again." Judy said embarrassingly. She hated admitting to anyone that she was scared.

Especially of nightmares, she knew they weren't real, she knew that her parents dealt with real scary things all the time; the real monsters under your bed.

"Oh, my honey it's okay." Lorraine said in her motherly voice.

"Come here." Judy climbed up with some assistance to see that her father was already awake and waiting for her with open arms.

The smile that filled up her youthful face was automatic, always loving to be able to have the full attention of both of her parents.

"You know there's nothing to be afraid of, right honey?" Says her father in a reassuring voice.

"I know, but it's scary Dad." Judy said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Lorraine shot him a smile as Judy found her way under the covers in between them.

"I missed you while you were away Mommy." Judy said gazing at her mother.

"I know my darling, i missed you too. Soooo much." She said as she started planting kisses all over her daughters face, causing them both to giggle.

"Hey, what about me?" Ed said, pretending to offended when really there's nothing he loves more than seeing his two girls happy.

"Did you not miss me too?" Says Ed.

"Well yeah but I missed mommy just a little bit more." Said Judy with a mischievous smile trying to get a reaction out her father.

Ed acquired a sarcastic look of offence.

"Well that's not very nice" He says, pretending to be sad all of the sudden.

"Daddy, i'm just kidding!" Judy says launching herself into his strong arms that always made her feel protected.

"I know, I know, i'm just playing with ya." He says giving her a quick kiss on her disheveled dark hair that she refuses to wear up during the night time.

"Okay, it's time for you to get some sleep little one." Says Lorraine as she tugs on Judy's ankle, causing her to giggle as she's pulled into a laying position.

Lorraine lifts the covers over the three of them and leans over to give Ed a kiss and does the same to Judy.

"Goodnight My Love." She says to Judy as she wraps her up in her arms.

"Night Mommy, night Daddy." Says Judy as she falls into a peaceful sleep in all of three minuets.

"Sometimes i think she just uses bad dreams as an excuse to sleep in here." Says Ed as he looks at their little girl sleeping peacefully in her mother's warm embrace.

"Well it works." Says Lorraine as she brushes a tendril of hair out of her daughters eyes, revealing her angelic face.

"Get some sleep Love." Says Ed as he kissed Lorraine's temple tenderly.

Judy slept the rest of the night in her mother's arms, dreaming of nothing but laughter and joy, because she knows that when she's with her family, nothing bad can really happen.

 


	2. chapter 2

Lorraine couldn't sleep.

She'd been progressively getting sick for the past week but she would never admit that.

It was flu season and having a small child going back and forth to school where sicknesses spread like wild fire didn't help.

Judy had been sick with the flu for the past two weeks and Lorraine was by her side for every second of it. But as soon as Judy started to feel the tiniest bit better, Lorraine could feel the tell tale signs that Judy's sickness had founds its way to her.

Now as she laid in bed trying to find a comfortable way to fall back asleep she failed miserably, groaning at her discomfort.

She tossed and turned while attempting to not wake her sleeping husband.

By the grace of God she somehow managed to fall into a restless sleep, but it didn't last long.

She woke up to her husband lightly shushing her as he brushed her hair away from her overly warm face.

"Honey it's okay, you're just dreaming. I'm right here." He hummed soothingly.

Slowly she comes to her senses and realizes she had been whimpering in her sleep, a blinding headache plaguing her.

"I don't feel good." She whimpered in a childlike voice.

"I know hon, I think you're getting Judy's flu." He said sympathetically.

Lorraine let out a small huff of annoyance knowing that she was most likely going to be bed ridden for the next few days and there was no way Ed was going to let her do anything other than rest.

"No, no i'm fine, I just can't sleep." She muttered attempting to give her husband a reassuring smile.

But she knew wasn’t fooling anyone, he could read her like an open book.

"I'm gonna get you a cold towel." He stated, starting to get out of bed.

"No Ed i'm too cold." She whined as he saw her visibly start to shiver.

"Honey you're burning up." He informs and Lorraine realizes he's right.

Strands of her hair are sticking to her neck and the oversized sweatshirt of Ed's that she likes to wear when she feels under the weather is suddenly overwhelmingly hot against her overheated body.

Lorraine frowns as Ed leaves the room to fetch her a cold towel.

He comes back in less than a minute, always eager to take care of his wife.

He slowly places the cold towel against her forehead and he can see the moment that Lorraine finally relaxes.

"Thank you." She sighs quietly.

"My pleasure hon" Hummed Ed, softly stroking her hair.

Lorraine finally falls into a dreamless sleep laying her head on Ed's chest, letting his familiar sent keep her calm throughout the night.

The next morning Lorraine woke up to the smell of pancakes wafting from the kitchen.

She's not surprised.

Ed always let's Judy decide what they eat when she's not there.

Lorraine lifts the covers and stands up out of bed instantly being hit with a wave of nausea.

_”I haven’t felt this sick since i’ve been pregnant.”_

She thought to herself sarcastically.

She slowly walks down the hall into the kitchen to see her daughter helping Ed flip a pancake.

Ed turns around sensing Lorraine watching them. Judy notices and jumps down from her little bench she uses to reach the counter and runs over to greet her mother.

"Hi Mommy!" Judy says excited to see her mother.

"Be gentle Judy, Mommy's not feeling too well." Cautions Ed in firm tone, knowing that Lorraine would never admit to being sick to their daughter.

"Oh i'm okay." Lorraine coos to Judy, hugging her tight.

Once they've sat down and have said grace, Ed notices Lorraine’s lack of interest in her food.

"You not hungry hon?" Ed asks sympathetically.

"Mm not really, I think i'm gonna go lie down again." She sighs as she stands up slowly.

"Thank you for the pancakes honey." Lorraine says to Judy, giving her a kiss on her head.

She walks back into hers and Ed's room and attempts to fall back asleep but the aches and pains of sickness won't seem to let her.

Ed walks in a few minutes later with a cup of tea.

"Feeling any better?" He asks.

Lorraine can only shake her head.

"This should help you feel better love." Reassured Ed handing her the teacup.

"Thank you." Lorraine said quietly.

She drank the tea in silence for a few minutes before she starts shivering once again.

It doesn't take Ed long to notice her discomfort.

"I'm gonna run you a bath." Ed decides.

"You don't have to do that hon, i'm fine." But Ed knows she'll enjoy it so he continues into their bathroom.

He fills the bath with warm water and some of Lorraine's favourite bath salts that she saves for special occasions and lights some candles.

He knows this will calm her and hopefully make her feel the least bit better.

"Your bath is awaiting you m'lady." Ed teased with a smirk.

Lorraine cracks a smile and pretends to roll her eyes.

She could never resist his corny charm.

He slowly approaches her and gently lifts her up with ease into his arms. She wraps her arms around his shoulders and buries her face into his neck, loving the way her heart rate instantly calms when she's in his arms.

He carries her into the bathroom and sets her down.

She observes the candles and notices the fact he knew to use her favourite bath salts.

_“I don’t deserve this man.”_

She thought to herself.

She smiles up at him and he leans down to kiss her forehead. 

He tenderly helps her undress out of her clothes and watches as she places herself into the water.

"Is it okay?" Ed asks uncertainty.

"It's wonderful honey, thank you." Lorraine confirms as she lets the warm water and the relaxing sent of the bath salts envelope her.

Ed sits on the edge on the bath tub and watches her for a few seconds, loving to see his wife so serene.

She doesn't deserve anything but pure happiness.

It's all he's ever thrived to give her.

"I'm gonna go check on Judy hon." Says Ed quietly, not wanting to disturb his wife's moment of peace.

"Okay darling." She says without opening her eyes.

He smiles and makes his way out of the door.

A little while later after Lorraine has finished with her bath and has redressed, she finds Ed sitting on the couch in their office reading a book.

She sits herself next to him and he instinctively wraps an arm around her delicate body.

"Thank you for my bath hon." Lorraine cooed as she rests her head on his chest.

"You always take such good care of me." She whispers, gazing up at him to see he's already looking down at her.

"That's my job." He informs matter of factly.

"Through sickness and health my love." He whispers, taking her hand is his much larger one and kissing her finger which holds her wedding ring.

These were the moments that Lorraine knew without a doubt in her mind that they were truly meant to be.


	3. Chapter 3

this chapter contains sexual content so if that makes you uncomfortable, please skip this chapter :)

Lorraine missed her husband.

Not because he had gone away, if anything they were practically joined at the hip. They had been so busy lately with cases and lectures that they haven't had any real time together.

No time for them to be alone; uninterrupted by the rest of the constantly buzzing world.

They had just gotten back from Enfield where they had been helping a family struggling with a haunted house. It was a terrifying experience for everyone involved.

But all that mattered was that they had succeeded in helping the family and now they were home.

On the train ride home from England, Lorraine couldn't help but remember the promise she made to her husband on their first night in Enfield when he had mentioned to her that he couldn't sleep without her with him.

"Well you're gonna, it'll give you something to look forward to when we get home."

She suppressed a smirk as she looked out the window of the train, watching the world pass by.

* * *

A couple days later Lorraine was helping Judy out the door; on her way to a sleepover with her best friend from school.

"Behave yourself tonight, no staying up too late alright?" Lorraine asks as she waves the two girls goodbye.

"I know mum, we won't." Giggled Judy smiling, excited about the fact that she was finally old enough to leave her house for the night.

Her parents were very protective, but that was understandable.

Lorraine watched the girls through the window as they safely crossed the street.

Once they were out of sight she headed straight for her bedroom.

She was giddy thinking about getting to spend the rest of the night with her husband.

It had been so long since they've had a night to themselves.

She runs herself a hot bath and lights some sweet smelling candles, allowing herself a little pampering before her night with Ed.

Once she's out of her bath and has applied her moisturizer, she wraps a towel around her lean body and heads back into her bedroom to decide what to wear.

Nothing too fancy.

She's been with Ed for long enough to know that he loves her just the way she is. But she can't help wanting to get a little dolled up.

She decides on her cream coloured silk night slip. She slides it over her body and turns to admire herself in her floor length mirror, she smiles to herself at the thought of Ed walking through the door to see her.

She quickly dismisses the thought and walks gracefully over to her vanity, she finds Ed's favourite perfume of hers and sprays it to all of her pulse points. She gives her hair a toss and applies some light makeup.

This is much more than she would usually do but she wants to make this night special.

She lights some more candles in their room and dims the lights.

Once she's content with the state of their shared room she lightly calls for Ed, knowing he was just down the hall in their study.

"Honey? Can you come here for a second?" She lightly calls out.

She has butterflies in her stomach, all these years together and their spark hasn't worn out in the slightest. If anything it grows stronger every day.

"Yeah hon" She hears him call back to her. She knows how stressed he's been since their last case.

The idea of losing each other weighing him down. But tonight they were together, and he was gonna see that.

She hears his footsteps making his way to their bedroom, she quickly goes to lay down on their bed, waiting for him to walk through the door.

Ed walks in and he can't help the way his jaw drops.

He's never underestimated his wife's beauty, but every time he looks at her, it's as if his heart stops and the whole world stands completely still.

He gazes around the room and notices the dimmed lights and the glowing candles. He also notices the night slip that his wife is sporting, one that is significantly shorter than her normal night wear. It hugs her curves in the most sensual way and he can't stop his eyes from wandering.

"What's all this?" Ed asks, slowly approaching her with a growing smile on his face.

His greedy hands finding their way to her round hips, resting there lightly.

She sits up to greet him properly.

"I told you, you had something to look forward to didn't I?" She asks rhetorically, knowing he's been thinking about this just as much as she has, if not more. He's never been ashamed to admit that he's attracted to his wife, he always wants to be near her, taking every opportunity to show his affections, hugging her, kissing her.

But ever since they got back from their case she couldn't help but notice his wandering eyes and his tugging hands that always found their way to her hips that he loves so much.

He looks at her with a knowing smirk.

He's seen the look in her eyes time and time again, and he will never grow tired of it.

"As a matter of fact, I do recall those words Mrs. Warren." He says smugly, sitting down on their bed and bringing her to sit in his lap.

She smiles down at him and wraps her arms around his neck.

She slowly leans down to connect their lips, humming into the kiss as he meets her halfway.

She's missed this so much, being with her husband, not a care in the world for anything other than being here with him.

He places his rough hand softly on her jaw, turning her head gently to deepen their kiss.

"I've missed you" Lorraine mumbles against his lips.

He smiles against her as he kisses her cheek, making his way down to her soft neck, noticing the sweet scent of his favourite perfume of Lorraine's.

"I know honey, me too" He says as he plants a kiss on her jawline, smirking at the way she extends her neck, providing him more room for his beautiful torture.

He kisses her some more but Lorraine gets impatient, it's been too long and she wants him now.

She places her hands on the sides of his face and pulls him back to her, crashing their lips together.

Ed can't help the smile that stretches across his face, he knows all too well that's his wife's saintly patience has never been applicable when it comes to their scandalous activities in the bedroom.

She notices him smirking and grumbles incoherently against his mouth, knowing he's making fun of her.

"Stop smiling." She says with a giggle as she breaks their heated kiss to look a him with a pout.

He can't help but smile even brighter as he stares at her flushed face and swollen lips.

"I'm just happy." He gushes innocently.

"You're making fun of me." She pouts harder as she traces his lips with her index finger.

"I could never." He consoled sarcastically as he flips them over, quickly situating her underneath him, causing her to let out a small shriek.

She giggles as she looks up at him smiling.

He looks into her ocean eyes with complete adoration.

She's his everything, his world and all he wants to do is cherish her. 

"I love you so much." He says sincerely.

She's gazez into his eyes, tracing the contours of his face 

"I love you too Ed." With that he leans down and connects their awaiting mouths once again, it doesn't take long for their sweet kiss to grow heated, he tangles his hand in her soft hair and lightly tugs at her bottom lip.

She lets out a small gasp, loving every second.

Her hands find the hem of his t-shirt and softly tugs on it, signalling she wants it off. He gets the hint and sits back on his haunches and quickly removes the garment.

Lorraine can't help but stare.

He was so beautiful and he would never know it.

She bites down on her bottom lip as he dives back down to meet her.

He traces her jaw and neck loving the feel of her delicate skin under his calloused hands, he slowly starts to peel the thin strap of her slip off her shoulder, kissing every inch of her newly exposed skin.

She sits up to help the process and he tugs down the rest of the flimsy material until the soft skin of her chest is exposed, she looks up at him through hooded eyes, seeing him staring at her chest.

He brings his head down to the soft flesh and leaves a light kiss there.

Lorraine let's out an audible sigh.

He kisses his way down the valley between her breasts.

She tangles her fingers into the hair at the base of his neck encouraging him to keep going.

"Oh" She gasps as his mouth finds it's way to her sensitive nipple.

He sucks on the perky flesh as his hand gently needs the other.

Lorraine brings her legs to latch around his hips, bringing him flush against her.

She closes her eyes in ecstasy when all the sudden she feels a jolt of pleasurable pain.

Ed bites down on her hardened nipple making sure not to be too rough.

Lorraine throws her head back onto the soft pillows behind her, urging him to do it again so he does, he would never deny her anything.

Ed can't ignore the growing tightness in his soft grey sweat pants. And neither can Lorraine for that matter, she hooks her feet into the hem of his pants and attempts to tug them down but fails miserably.

After a minute of effort she lets out a huff of annoyance.

"Ed." Lorraine whines in a agitated tone.

Ed sits back and quicker than he ever has before, he removes the pants and slides back down to his wife who's breathing is growing more erratic by the second.

Ed hooks an arm under her back, holding her firmly against his heated body. She can feel his arousal against her inner thigh and she can't help but let out a small but sensual moan.

Ed starts to move downward once again.

Kissing every square inch of his wife's goddess like body.

He was one lucky man.

He kisses directly under her breasts and against her rib cage.

He plants several kisses all over her smooth stomach and she already knows what he's planning to do.

Normally she would protest, not because she didn't want it.

Lord knew she wanted it, but because she would insist that their love making should be pleasurable for the both of them.

But Ed was always quick to insist that nothing was more pleasurable than seeing the look in her eyes as he brought her to the edge.

So she didn't protest, she tangled her fingers in his hair once again and let her husband take control.

He kisses along her hips and her pelvic bone, knowing that Lorraine hated the teasing.

He looked up to meet the not so pleased look of his wife. He only smirked and got back to work.

He planted wet kisses to the insides of her thighs, so close to where she wanted him but not nearly close enough.

"Ed stop teasing me." She muttered in a breathy tone. She tries to tug him down further but he won't let up. 

He bites down on the soft flesh of her inner thigh and sucks on it for a second.

"I swear if you give me a hickey." Lorraine cautions in a threatening tone.

He knows she's only joking, she secretly likes it but she would never say it out loud.

He finally gives up his teasing and places a kiss directly where she wants him.

He can feel how wet she is through the thin material of her cotton panties.

He kisses her again and he earns a mewl and a soft tug on his hair from his aroused wife.

"Mmm, off." she demands lightly bucking her hips to let him know she's talking about her under garments.

He takes hold of the sides of her panties and pulls them down her long silky legs.

Once they've been disposed of he returns to his wife.

He gives her a few more kisses before he's making his way up towards her bundle of nerves.

He dives down and starts kissing her like a man starved.

It's all Lorraine can do to keep herself from screaming profanities so she bites down on her fist to keep herself quiet.

Ed looks up at her, seeing the way she's trying to contain herself.

He reaches up and removes her fist from her mouth to see the indents of her teeth start to blossom on her skin. 

"We've got the whole house to ourselves, no need for that." He reassured simply before going back to pleasuring his wife who was now doing nothing to contain her moans and gasps as Ed's mouth became more persistent against her most sensitive spot.

Her breaths became shorter and her sighs became higher in pitch.

He knew she was close.

She wrapped her thighs around his neck as her hips bucked up into him.

He held her hips down to keep her from squirming.

"Ed.. oh God." She pants out of breathe.

"Honey i'm so close." She warns as tears start to fall from her hooded eyes.

He was unforgiving in his last few strokes before his wife was coming undone from beneath him.

"Oh.. Mmm Ed... Fuck." She gasped as she started to come down from her high, her hips still moving in small little circles as she rode out her orgasm.

Once she came back down to reality she opened her eyes to see her husband had climbed back up to greet her.

"Welcome back." He teases, kissing her face.

She gave him a lazy smile and hid her face in a pillow, she could never help but be slightly embarrassed after her husband did such things to her.

"You swore." He stated smugly.

"I did not." Insisted Lorraine seriously, knowing how she has to scold Ed for the same act all the time.

He only chuckled and kissed her on the mouth once again.

She could taste herself on him, something about it was so erotic and just like that she was ready for more.

She tugged him against her to feel the strain of his boxers against her leg. He tugged them off and he was back to kissing her in a heartbeat.

"I want you Ed." She whispered into his ear as he kissed down her throat.

"I want you too hon." He took hold of her hips and she wrapped her legs around him once again, he aligned himself at her entrance and rested his forehead against hers.

"You ready?" He asks looking for any signs of hesitation.

"Yes honey." she confirmed, giving him a quick but tender kiss.

And with her confirmation he slid himself in as slowly as possible as to not hurt his beautiful wife.

They both breathed a sigh of relief at the feeling of being connected so intimately.

"I've missed this so much." Ed breathed as he buries his nose in Lorraine's neck, inhaling her scent.

Lorraine giggles at his desperate tone "It hasn't been _that_ long." She teased, a sudden gasp escaping her as he starts moving inside of her.

"Yes it has." He insists with a finality in his voice.

Lorraine holds the back of his head as he nuzzles her neck. Ed picks up his pace and settles into a deep rhythm. He grabs her thigh and tugs it up higher around his waist, causing her to let out a moan of approval.

"Harder Ed." She insists breathlessly.

He listens to her command and speeds up his thrusts.

Lorraine's hips start to move with his, meeting his at every thrust.

They lock eyes and just like every time they make love; it's like the very first time.

Ed connects their lips as he feels her walls start to flutter around him.

She's close and so is he.

"I love you Ed." She says as a warning that she's close once again.

Holding onto his upper arms to find a balance.

All he can do is nod, too caught up in the moment.

He speeds up his pace once again and holds her close, whispering sweet nothings into her ear as they come undone together.

Their foreheads rest together as they attempt to catch their breath.

He looks into her eyes and rests a hand on her cheek, brushing away a tear that she didn't know had fallen.

"I love you too Lorraine."

 

 

 

this one shot is based off the depictions of ed and lorraine warren in the films not the real life people.


	4. Chapter 4

Lorraine finally came out of their locked bedroom after eight days of complete isolation.

Ed will never forget the nearly suffocating feeling of relief that spread throughout him when he saw his wife after eight never ending days of not knowing if she was going to beokay.

He knew she was strong, she was the strongest person he had ever known.

But he also knew that whatever she had seen had been strong too, strong enough to rip Lorraine away from her family.

Ed had been sitting at the kitchen table with Judy as she coloured a picture for her mother.

She had been doing this once a day for the past eight days.

"Maybe if I draw a picture for mommy, she'll come out to see them dad." Judy had reasoned, as if it was the most brilliant idea in the world.

"Maybe honey, but mommy doesn't feel well right now, so we need to let her rest for a little while." Ed comforted in a reassuring voice.

In all honesty he wasn't sure if he was reassuring his daughter or himself.

He's never felt so lost.

He didn't know what to do.

He wanted to be there for Lorraine but he didn’t know how when she wouldn’t let him see her. But he also knew he needed to be there for Judy.

Lorraine would want him to put her first. 

"Judy I think the bus is here kiddo." Ed said standing up from the kitchen table, grabbing Judy's backpack to help her put it on. He walked her out the front door and watched as she climbed onto the bus and drives away.

He breathed out a sigh knowing that this day is going to be just as hard as the last.

Every day that passed not being able to help Lorraine was getting to him.

He can't help but feel frustrated.

It's his job to protect her and he can't help but feel as though he failed.

The thought that's she suffering alone leaves him with a lump in his throat.

He needed to help her, but he didn’t know how.

He walked back into the house and made his way towards the study.

He walked down the hall like he had a hundred times before in the past eight days, but something feels different this time.

He didn’t know what possessed him, but all the sudden he had the strongest instinct to try the door to their bedroom just one more time. 

For the past eight days it had been locked.

Ed knew she wanted to be alone and he respected that.

He gave her the space she needed.

But this time when he twisted the door handle, it wasn't the same as it had been for the past eight days.

It was unlocked.

His wife's silent way of telling him that she needed him as much as he had been needing her.

Slowly he pushed the door open and looked inside to see his frail wife.

He knew she hadn't eaten since she locked herself in there but he couldn't help the hatred that he felt towards himself at seeing his wife so broken.

He failed her.

She needed him and he wasn't there to protect her like he promised he would be.

She was sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of their room, looking out of the window.

'Of course she would be.' Ed thought, she would never send Judy off to school without making sure she left safely.

"Honey." Ed whispered cautiously, not wanting to startle her.

She slowly turned to him but didn't dare make eye contact, her vision plagued her mind at all seconds of the day and she couldn't bare to look at him just yet.

Her once ocean blue eyes were now a cloudy shade of grey and her once luminous face was sunken and plagued with dark circles from lack of sleep.

He could see the way her chin started to tremble as she let out a soft whimper and he was by her side in a heartbeat, taking her into his arms.

"I'm so sorry Ed." She cried into his shoulder.

"Shhh honey, you have nothing to be sorry for." He reassured her as he rubbed soothing circles on her back.

He couldn't help but cringe at the feeling of her ribcage poking through the soft material of one of his night shirts.

She shook her head as she tried to hold back a sob.

"I'm sorry I left you." She whispered as they made eye contact for the first time in eight days.

"You're here now honey." He whispered back to her as he brought his large hand to cradle her face, brushing her tears away.

She rested her head in the crook of his neck as he held her firmly in his arms, afraid that this was all some twisted dream and he was about to wake up alone in his study like he had so many times since she'd locked herself away.

His hands slid from her waist to rest lightly on her hips that were no longer strong and soft but bony and weak.

"You should eat something hon." He encouraged softly, not wanting to push her.

She only shook her head as she clutched onto his shoulders tighter, afraid that her legs would give out on her.

"Let me run you a bath and maybe you'll feel well enough to eat something after?" He asked, lightly moving her delicate face to look at him.

She merely nodded her head and let him take her to the bathroom where he started to run her a bath. 

She sat on the edge of the tub as she watched the water rise as Ed watched her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you." He spoke suddenly, no longer able to keep his thoughts to himself.

She turned to look at him as she rested her head against the wall; too tired to hold it up herself.

"You couldn't have stopped it even if you tried, it wasn't your fault, there was nothing you could've done." She stated with a finality to her voice.

“I could've been there for you." He reasoned raising his voice slightly out of anger at himself.

"I wanted to be alone." She mumbled as she went back to watching the water.

A few minutes later the bath was full and Lorraine was submerged in the warm water.

Ed watched her.

His beautiful wife who deserved the world, broken and bruised.

He was about to leave her to herself, she usually used baths as her alone time, but right now being alone was the last thing she wanted.

"Stay with me." She pleaded lightly with an urgency to her voice. She looked up at him with fear in her eyes, as if the thought of being pulled back into isolation was inevitable.

"Please, I don't want to be alone right now." She stammered as her lower lip started to shake.

"Okay, okay." He comforted as if he was speaking to a lost child who couldn't find their parent.

"I'm not going anywhere hon, I'm right here with you." He reassured her as he settled himself on the side of the bathtub.

She tenderly untied her hair and let it fall past her shoulders.

Ed watched as he noticed he could see her bones nearly pierce her skin.

God he hated himself.

He would never not feel as though this was entirely his fault.

He should've known it was dangerous to have her in the same room of a ongoing exorcism.

He should've intervened when Maurice grabbed her. 

But he didn't and because of that he nearly lost the love of his life.

He promised himself that he would never let this kind of evil touch his wife ever again.

"Stop blaming yourself." Lorraine said, snapping Ed out of his thoughts.

He didn't know what to say so he decided to change the subject.

"Do you want me to wash your hair love?" He asked so sweetly Lorraine thought she might burst into tears once again.

She nodded.

And for the first time in eight days, a hint of a smile pulled at her face.

After her bath, Ed brought her the softest shirt he owned and draped it over her tired but relaxed body.

He slowly picked her up, knowing she was too tired to walk and brought her to the kitchen.

He set her her down gingerly at the table and started to make her some tea and toast.

Lorraine spotted a colourful paper that had been resting on the table and picked it up.

She instantly knew it was one of Judy's drawings.

It was a picture of the three of them holding hands with a small message that read

"I miss you mommy, feel better soon. Love Judy. P.S Daddy misses you too."

Lorraine stared at the picture until she realized that Ed had set a plate down in front of her and he was sitting across from her looking sadly at the picture.

"She made a new one every day." He sighed pointing to the fridge where seven other variations of the same message were hung up.

"I cant believe I left my own child." Lorraine whispered mostly to herself.

"She was just worried honey, when she gets home and sees you here, that's all she'll care about.” He comforted, resting a calming hand on top of hers. 

Lorraine looked at him and nodded.

She took a couple bites of the toast and drank a few sips of tea, but that was all her stomach could bare.

She had only been out of her room for a few hours but she was exhausted; emotionally and physically.

Ed noticed and brought her back to their room and gently laid her down on their bed. He carefully covered her with the blankets and she assured him she was warm enough.

He was always worried about her being cold.

He was about to turn around as she grabbed his arm with a surprising amount of strength.

"Where are you going?" She asked worriedly. 

"Nowhere honey, i'm right here with you." He reassured as he climbed into the other side of the bed, quickly securing her in his arms.

She always felt at home in his arms.

"I love you so much Lorraine, you know that right?" He asked genuinely.

"I've never doubted it honey" She said.

For the first time since the exorcism she felt safe.

As long as she was with Ed she knew she would always be safe.


	5. Chapter 5

It was Sunday morning and Ed Warren was up with the sun.

He slowly stepped out of bed without making a sound, making sure not to wake his wife who was sleeping peacefully.

He looked over his shoulder to see Lorraine in a serene state of sleep. An angelic look on her face as her chest rose and fell in a deep rythme.

He walked around to her side of the bed and tenderly lifted the covers over her body and watched as she nuzzled the side of her face deeper into her pillow.

He gingerly placed a kiss on her forehead as he admired the pink hue on her cheeks and her disheveled curly brown locks.

Today was Mother's Day and Ed knew that Judy was wanting to do something special for her mom.

He walked down the hall in the direction of his daughters bedroom.

He opened the door and quietly poked his head in, not knowing if she were still asleep.

As he looked inside, he saw his four year old daughter playing with her dollhouse which sat in the corner of her room.

Her long dark hair was pointing in every which way but she didn't have a care in the world.

"Now what are you up to?" Ed asked in a sing song voice as he approached his daughter.

Judy turned her head at the sound of her dads voice. Once she saw him she jumped up off the floor and bolted into arms as he lightly tossed her up in the air.

"Dad! You're gonna drop me!" Judy said through her laughter.

"No, i've got ya." Sighed Ed as he brought his daughter close to kiss her head.

"You've got any plans for what you want to do for mommy?" Asked Ed.

He knew Lorraine wouldn't want them to buy her anything, just spending time together was enough for her.

"Maybe we can make mommy a painting?" Judy suggested, looking at her father for confirmation.

"I think that's a wonderful idea honey." He admired as they made their way out of Judy's room and into the living room where Ed does his painting.

Judy climbed up onto the stool as Ed gathered all their supplies that they would need for their masterpiece.

"What are we gonna paint dad?" Judy asked him as she stared curiously as he mixed some paints together.

"I'm not sure yet, you tell me. You're the boss." He stated as he brought a stool over to sit next to Judy.

"Maybe we should paint a picture of all three of us together with lots and lots of hearts to show mommy we love her." Judy explained reasonably.

"Well I think that's a fantastic idea." Ed encouraged as he handed Judy a paintbrush.

As Ed started painting the outlines of each of them, Judy went along behind him painting them in, always making sure to give them all big smiling faces.

"Well I think you just might be the next Picasso." Ed reasoned as he watched his daughters young imagination display itself in the painting.

Everything in her painting was very bright and carefree, Ed hoped that would never change with Judy.

As they were finishing up with the dozens of hearts that took up a considerable amount of the painting, Judy decided they needed to add a message into their painting for her mother.

"What would you like it to say?" Ed asked.

“Umm it should say 'We love you so much mommy, happy mother's day. From Judy and daddy.'" Judy decided.

"Okay, you take the brush and i'll tell you how to spell the words." Ed explained, handing her the thin paintbrush.

Judy concentrated as her father patiently told her each letter to write. By the time Judy was finished, the message was a bit lopped sided with some backwards letters but it was beautiful.

"Now what do we do?" Judy asked her father as he put all the painting supplies away and rested the painting to dry.

"Now, we can make mommy breakfast." Ed suggested as he quickly picked up his daughter and rested her up on his shoulders, causing her to laugh.

"Shh, we don't wanna wake her up though, it needs to be a surprise." Ed reminds her in a whisper.

They walk into the kitchen and he carefully takes Judy off his shoulders and rests her down on her foot stool she uses to see the countertop.

"What should we make?" Ed asks her.

"What's mommy's favourite?" Judy asks her father.

"I believe the answer to that would be waffles with strawberries." Ed answers as he starts to collect the ingredients.

"Don't forget the whipped cream dad." Judy reminds him, standing up on her tippytoe's attempting to see over her fathers shoulder. He brought back everything they needed and started to get to work.

Ed was letting Judy mix the batter as she had an idea.

"We should make the waffles into hearts! We can use the heart shaped cookie cutters!" Judy exclaimed.

"Well you are just full of ideas today aren't you?" Ed asked rhetorically as he fetched the cookie cutters. Ed placed them into the pan as Judy helped him pour the batter.

While the waffles were cooking Ed started to cut up the strawberries as he pretended not to notice Judy eating some of them.

"When is mommy gonna wake up?" Judy asked with a slight pout.

"I'm not sure but we've gotta let her sleep for a little longer. The waffles will be done soon and then you can add the whipped cream." Ed reassured, seeing his daughter become impatient.

"Okay." She said, her father winning back her attention.

Once the waffles were done and Judy had finished adding the whipped cream and strawberries to each one, they were finally ready to wake up Lorraine with their surprise.

They placed the food on a tray and Ed carried it as they made their way to Ed and Lorraine's room.

Judy creaked open the door and went inside followed by Ed.

Judy quietly climbed up onto the bed with the help of her father and lightly called out to her still sleeping mother.

"Mommy, we have a surprise for you." Judy whispered, trying her hardest to keep her excitement at a reasonable level.

Lorraine stirred at the sound of her daughters small voice.

She slowly fluttered her eyes open to see her daughter looking down at her. "Hi honey."

Lorraine greeted as she pulled herself up into a sitting position to hold Judy in her lap.

"Mommy look what we made you!" Judy said pointing to the tray of food that Ed was now placing in front of them.

Lorraine couldn't help the smile that sprung to her face.

"Honey did you do this?" Lorraine asked adoringly.

"Yep! For mother's day." Judy announced proudly.

"This is wonderful honey, thank you." Lorraine cooed as she pulled Judy into a hug for the second time.

She looked up at Ed as she held onto Judy and whispered a thank you, Ed smiled and nodded.

Once they were finished their breakfast in bed, Judy couldn't contain her excitement any longer.

“Mommy, there's still another surprise for you!" Judy beamed.

“Another one? This is too much!" Lorraine as gushed as she turned to look at Ed who just winked at her.

"You have to come see!" Judy exclaimed tugging on her mother's arm, encouraging her to follow.

"Okay, okay i'm coming." Said Lorraine as she got up out of bed and shot a look to Ed, looking for some kind of clue as to what this surprise may be. But he only shrugged and chuckled as she pretended to roll her eyes.

The three of the them walked down the hallway, their daughter leading the way.

They walked into the living room and Judy took her mother's hand, leading her away from the table where the painting lies, making sure not to ruin the surprise.

"Okay, now you have to close your eyes for this surprise." Judy instructs her mother.

"Alright." Lorraine stammered, pretending to be apprehensive.

She covered her eyes with her hands and Judy watched to make sure she wasn't peaking.

She slowly turns her mother in the direction of the canvas stand where Ed had placed the painting and leads her towards it.

“No peaking mommy." Judy reminds her as she leads her mother to stand in front of the painting.

“Okay, open your eyes in one, two, three! Open!"

Lorraine opens her eyes to see she's standing in front of Ed's painting stand.

But placed upon it is not one of Ed's paintings of a haunting house from one of their cases but a painting clearly painted by a young child.

Specifically her daughter.

"Oh my goodness, did you paint this just for me darling?" Lorraine gasped as she pealed her eyes away to pick up her daughter and rest her on her hip to hold her close.

Touched at the fact that her and Ed took the time to create such a sentimental gift for her.

"Yeah, I painted it when you were sleeping and daddy helped too." Judy explained.

Lorraine laughed at Judy's comment as Ed came up behind them and placed a kiss on each of their heads.

"She wanted to make you something special for mother's day." Ed whispered into her ear.

"Well it's absolutely beautiful honey, I love it, and I love you too, sooo much." Lorraine said as she peckered kisses all over the soft skin of her daughters face.

"I love you too mommy." Said Judy, resting her head on her mother's shoulder.

"Happy mother's day hon." Sighed Ed, leaning down to give her a quick kiss.

"Best one yet."

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

Lorraine Warren had been pregnant for five months.

Five months since the wonderful day that her doctor confirmed that her wishful thinking had been much more than just that.

It seemed like yesterday that she revealed to her husband that they were expecting a little one.

She will never forget the look on his face when she told him that he was going to be a dad.

They had only been married for a short time but a baby had always been in their plans since they first started dating when they were just teenagers.

Lorraine couldn't help but reminisce about the precious memory of when she first told Ed.

* * *

Ed had just gotten back from running some errands, Lorraine would usually go along with him but she had been feeling under the weather for the past few weeks and Ed didn't want her doing anything to make it worse. 

Lorraine had been suspecting that she was pregnant for some time now but she didn't want to get Ed's hopes up before she was sure.

She had visited her doctor earlier in the week and he had confirmed her suspicions.

Since that day, she's been waiting for the perfect moment to tell Ed.

Once Ed walked through the front door, he placed the bags he was holding down on the kitchen table and made his way towards his and Lorraine's bedroom where he knew she would be. He had bought her some ginger ale to help calm her stomach and some of her favourite chocolates that she'd been craving recently.

He walked through the bedroom door to see his wife laying in bed reading. She lifted her head to greet him as she heard him enter their room.

"Feeling any better hon?" Ed asked with a sympathetic smile.

"A little." Lorraine answered with a smile; spotting the chocolates and the glass filled with ginger ale that her husband was holding.

Ed noticed her smiling.

"Thought they'd make you feel better." Explained Ed, cracking a smile as he placed them down beside her on the bed side table.

"Thank you darling." Lorraine hummed, gazing up at him.

Lorraine opened the box of chocolates and pulled one out, she was grateful that she had Ed. He always knew the little things that would always help her feel better.

A few minutes and a few more chocolates later, Lorraine started to feel the all too familiar signs of nausea flood through her body. She always tried to suppress for as long as possible but that rarely worked.

She quickly lifted the covers off of herself and ran towards the bathroom, not having the time and not caring enough to shut the door.

Three minutes later all the contents of her stomach were gone and she was washing out her mouth with water as Ed dabbed her face with a cold cloth as he lead her back to bed.

"Honey I think we should go to the doctor." Ed suggested.

"It could be more than just a bug and I don't want you getting any worse." Ed said worriedly.

"No, i'm fine, i'm just nauseous." Lorraine assured as she took a small sip of ginger ale.

"Hon-" But before Ed could finish his sentence Lorraine was speaking the words that she'd been trying so badly to keep to herself.

"Ed i'm pregnant." Lorraine stated suddenly.

Ed was frozen in place. Did he hear her correctly? "You're... You're pregnant? Are you sure?" Ed asked, going back and forth from looking in her eyes to looking at her still flat abdomen.

"Yes i'm sure, i went to the doctors a few days ago to be positive." She explained.

"Why didn't you tell me you thought you were pregnant, I would've went with you." Ed said, stunned at the fact that Lorraine had been speculating that she was pregnant for some time and didn't inform him.

"I know you would've but I didn't want us to get too excited in case I was wrong." Lorraine explained.

"Oh yeah because you're always wrong." Ed said sarcastically as he brought her in for a tender kiss. "I can't believe we're gonna be parents." Ed said incredulously, once again staring at her abdomen.

Lorraine could only smile, imagining Ed as a father, she knew he'd be a good dad, she had no doubt about it.

* * *

Lorraine was snapped out of her memory as Ed called out to her. 

"I'm in the office!" Lorraine called back.

Ed soon walked through the office door, smiling as he made his way over to his wife who was sitting at the desk.

"What are you doing in here?" Ed asked, placing a large hand on her growing belly.

"Just writing, gotta get this book done eventually." She sighed looking up at him. He smiled down at her as he rubbed soothing circles on her belly.

"Have you felt him kick yet?" Ed had been asking her this same question daily, ever since the doctor informed them that Lorraine should start feeling movement any day now.

"Not yet, but I will soon and how many times do I have to tell you that it's not a boy?"

Lorraine asked in a exasperated.

"It could be! You don't know that it's a girl either." Ed said, trying to justify himself.

"Yes I do, I know it. We're gonna have a little baby girl." Lorraine said, the last part mostly to herself as she glanced down to her swollen belly.

"So tell me Mrs. Warren, how are you so sure that our baby is going to be a girl?" Ed asked as he moved Lorraine to sit in his lap.

"I just know, I have dreams about her every night. She's going to be our perfect little angel."Lorraine says peacefully as she cradles Ed's face in her hands.

"Well at least until she wants a boyfriend." Ed says with a dramatic look of disgust on his face.

Lorraine can only laugh at her husband. "I don't think we have to worry about that for a while." She whispers lowly as brings her husband in for a kiss.

Later that night as Ed and Lorraine were sleeping, Lorraine was once again consumed by dreamland full of their daughter.

She would only ever see her in glimpses.

She'd hear her laugh or see the wisps of her soft dark hair as she ran around the yard with Ed.

Lorraine wanted to hold her.

She wanted to hug her daughter and look into her eyes and tell her she loves her.

But she needed to be patient.

She'd be here soon, and when she got here, she'd never be deprived of love for a second.

For now she can only appreciate the dreams that her subconscious blessed her with.

Ever since she became pregnant she hasn't experienced one nightmare. It was as if the darkness couldn't reach her when she had the strength of her daughter along with her.

Lorraine could hear her.

She could hear her daughter speaking but she couldn't make out what she was saying or where it was coming from.

It was as if the sounds were coming from every direction.

She could feel her.

Feel her daughter trying to reach out to her.

All the sudden Lorraine was awoken from the dreamland and she was back in her bed next to her husband. She didn't know what woke her. She looked at her husband who was sleeping peacefully and all she could hear was the ticking of the clock coming from the living room down the hall.

She reasoned that it was just the dream that had wakened her.

She lifted the covers back over her shoulders and moved closer to her husband and curled her body around his, seeking his warmth.

Just as she was about to close her eyes she felt it. 

A kick.

A small but firm kick on the left side of her stomach. She laid still for a moment, wanting to be sure that it wasn't just her imagination playing tricks on her. But she felt it again and she knew it was her little girl.

"Ed!" Lorraine called, shaking his shoulder to rouse him out of sleep. "Ed honey wake up, it's the baby." Lorraine called urgently.

With those words, Ed was up faster than he ever could imagine. "What? What is it? Are you okay?" He asked. His eyes took in her smiling face and her hands that were resting firmly on her belly.

He looked into her eyes and he didn't even have to ask. She took his hand in her own and placed it gently on her belly, not wanting to scare away the kicks that were now coming one after the other.

"She's kicking." Ed said as he continued to stare into Lorraine's eyes that were now filling with tears of joy.

"Not much longer now until she's crying through all hours of the night." Ed said causing Lorraine to let out a giggle through her tears.

"Hello there little one." Ed spoke directly to Lorraine's baby bump, causing another fit of giggles from Lorraine.

"We can't wait to meet you, even though your mother's been informing me that you've been visiting her every night." Ed says pretending to be offended.

"I mean I get it, i'd probably visit her before visiting me too but i'd really like to see you." Ed says as Lorraine brushes her fingers through the hair at the back of Ed's neck, admiring the way he's speaking to their daughter as if she has any idea what he's saying.

"Anyway it's getting pretty late so you settle down in there so your mom can get to sleep okay? You can visit her again once she's sleeping and maybe if you two don't share too many secrets, your mom can tell me all about it." Ed finishes as he looks back up to Lorraine who was smiling down at him.

"You're gonna be such a good dad." Lorraine whispered sincerely as Ed lifts the covers back over the both of them.

"I hope so." Ed says as he kisses Lorraine's forehead.

"Now get some sleep, she's probably already waiting to visit you without me again." Ed says as he pretends to roll his eyes, causing Lorraine to laugh.

"I love you Ed." She says as settles into the bed. 

"I love you too Lorraine, I love the both of you."

 


	7. Chapter 7

Ed and Lorraine Warren we're sitting in their office one Friday afternoon going over reports and evidence that they've gathered for the case they were currently working on.

Ed was listening to some tape recordings of interviews they conducted with the family and Lorraine was trying to read all she could about the family and their supposedly haunted house.

They were knee deep in papers, books and audio recordings that they barely heard their daughter get home from school.

"Mom? Dad?" Judy called from the front of the house.

"We're in the office!" Ed called back to Judy who was now making her way towards her parents.

A few moments later she bounced into the office with her school bag still latched to her back and her long dark hair that had been carefully put into two braids earlier that morning had since fallen out resulting in her having to tuck the wild tendrils behind her ears every five seconds.

Judy was holding a few pieces of white paper filled with colourful drawings that took up every inch of the page. She proudly presented the artwork to her parents.

"Today at school we had to draw our families." Judy explained as her mother picked up the paper to examine the drawing and her father moved closer to get a better look. 

"That one is you mommy, and that one is dad." Judy explained as she pointed to the drawings that were clearly drawn by a child but were still beautiful.

"It's wonderful honey." Lorraine praised as she placed a kiss on Judy's cheek.

"Who's this?" Ed asked as he pointed to what looked like a small dog.

"That's Winston." Judy said matter of factly.

Ed and Lorraine shot each other a confused look.

"Who's Winston?" Lorraine asked Judy.

"He's our dog." Judy states to her parents as if it were obvious.

"But we don't have a dog honey." Lorraine said still confused.

"I know, but we could get one. Everyone else in my class has a dog." Judy pouted.

"Judy, a dog is a huge responsibility." Ed told her lightly, knowing his daughter could brake out her own puppy dog eyes any second and they'd be driving to a shelter and coming home with a four legged friend in a instant.

And that she did.

"Daddy I would take such good care of it, I would walk it and feed it and bath it. Please daddy, I promise I will!" Judy begged her father.

Ed turned his head to Lorraine who already had a look of defeat on her face.

Lorraine had always been a sucker for animals and she knew her daughter would've asked eventually.

"Alright, but you have to take care of it Judy, especially while we're away for work." Lorraine told, trying to be firm but if she were being honest, she was just as excited as her daughter.

"Yes! Thank you!" Judy celebrated, giving both her parents a hug before running out of the room.

"It was gonna happen eventually." Lorraine reasoned to Ed who was giving her a look.

"Yeah, I know. Now we're gonna be living with two little creatures with a mess of hair." Ed said sarcastically as Lorraine lightly slapped his arm as she tried to suppress a laugh.

The next morning Judy woke up with the birds, she couldn't have been more excited to be getting a puppy.

All her friends had pets and now she would too. 

She bounced around the house as her parents were preparing breakfast but Judy was too distracted to eat. All she could focus on was the fact that in a few short hours she would be coming home with her new best friend and she couldn't wait.

She ran into the kitchen and nearly ran straight into her father.

"Woah, slow down there tiger, no running in the house remember?" Ed reminded Judy.

"Sorry, i'm just excited." Gushed Judy as she sat at the table next to her mother.

"Can we leave now?" Judy asked a few moments later.

"Uh I guess so." Ed said, checking his watch.

* * *

Judy felt as though they had been driving forever. 

She couldn't sit still in the backseat as she tried to distract herself by looking out of the window. Usually Judy loved going for drives. She loved the calming feeling of being close to her parents as music played softly and her parents exchanged quiet whispers and giggles, or when it was just her and her dad and they would turn up the music really loud and sing to their hearts content, without a care in the world that all the words were out of tune. But this drive wasn't one of those drives.

Judy couldn't possibly wait any longer to meet her new friend.

"Are we there yet?" Judy asked finally.

Her parents knew it was coming.

It was inevitable.

"Almost honey, you gotta be patient." Lorraine reminded in a soothing voice.

But no matter how hard Judy tried, she couldn't possibly calm down, the thought of a fluffy dog running around her yard and licking her faced was ingrained into her mind.

After what felt like ages of squirming in her seat, they finally arrived.

Judy watched out of the window as her father pulled into a parking spot and turned the key and pulled it out of the ignition. Judy unclipped her seatbelt and was about to hop out of the car when her parents stopped her.

"Judy when we go in you have to behave yourself alright? There are a lot of animals and you don't want to upset them right?" Lorraine warned her. 

"I know mommy, I won't." Judy urged, her knee bouncing up and down, eager to open the car door and see all the animals that her mother was talking about.

"Okay lets go then." Said Ed, opening the car door and quickly walking around to the other side to open Lorraine's door. She shot him a smile and grasped his awaiting hand. Judy walked over to her parents and they made their way inside.

Once inside, the young lady at the front desk smiled politely at them. 

"Hello, how can I help you?" Judy held onto her mother's hand as her father began to explain that they were there to adopt a dog.

Judy was always shy around strangers, she got it from her mother.

Lorraine stroked Judy's hair as Ed continued to talk to the girl at the front desk.

"Are you excited?" Lorraine whispered to Judy.

Judy nodded her head, a huge smile enveloping her face at the reminder of the reason for their visit.

"Follow me." Said the girl pleasantly.

Judy quickly followed along after her parents.

She looked at all the different types of animals that they passed as they walked through the animal shelter.

She saw rabbits, birds, cats, hamsters, reptiles and more. As they were walking something caught Judy's eye.

It was a mother hen with her baby chicks.

Judy remembered that last year in school her class had baby chicks as class pets. They got them when they were still in the eggs and they were kept in a incubator until they were finally ready to hatch.

Judy had loved it. 

It was her favourite part of the day when everyone else would go outside for recess and she would get to stay inside and watch the baby chicks.

For awhile she wasn't aloud to touch them, they were far too small and her little hands carried too many germs that chicks could get sick from, but once they were older Judy loved to pat them and hold them in her palm.

Once the chicks got older, her class had to say goodbye, her teacher explained that the chicks were going to live on a farm with all the other chickens. Judy understood this but it still made her sad. She had wanted them to stay with her.

She wanted to bring them home.

Judy was snapped out of her memory at the feeling of her father taking her hand. "We thought we lost you." Ed stated sarcastically.

But Judy didn't laugh.She was too occupied staring at the little chicks that were hopping around. "You found the chickens I see." Lorraine said as she walked over alongside the worker.

The more Judy looked at the chicks; the less she thought about the dogs.

It was a sudden switch but to her it felt right, so she went with it.

"Can we get a baby chicken instead?" Judy asked, tugging on her fathers wrist.

"You want a chicken instead of a dog?" Ed asked.

"Yes." Judy said simply. "We had baby chicks in my class last year and I miss them." Judy explained, never taking her eyes off the baby chicks.

"The baby chicks are fairly cheap, a lot cheaper than the puppies." The lady explained.

"Five dollars each in fact." She stated.

"Are you sure you want a chicken instead of a puppy honey?" Lorraine asked carefully, not wanting her daughter to have regrets about not having a puppy to take home.

"I'm really sure, please mom, i'll take really good care of him." Judy said looking at her parents with big puppy dog eyes.

Thirty minutes later the three of them were driving home with three little baby chickens.

Just reasoned that they should get more than one so that they wouldn't get lonely. So that's what they did.

Once they got home Judy took the crate that held the chickens into her room.

"Honey you know the chickens can't stay in here forever right?" Lorraine asked as she watched Judy pick up a chick and gently pet its fluffy head.

"Daddy's gonna build a house for them in the yard so they can stay outside in the fresh air, he already told me." Judy explained as she focused on the baby chick in her arms. 

"Well okay then." Lorraine said smiling as she walked out of Judy's room, leaving her to spend some time with her new friends.

A few days later the chicken coop was finished and Judy was running around with the chickens laughing and smiling to her hearts content. 

"Only our kid would go to a shelter planning to adopt a dog and come home with three chickens." Ed chuckled as he approached Lorraine, sliding an arm around her waist as they watched Judy play with the chickens.

"It's cute!" Lorraine defended. "Look how much fun she's having, it's adorable." Lorraine cooed with a smile on her face.

"Yeah it's pretty cute, i'll give you that." Ed said kissing Lorraine's hair.

"Dad! Come look!" Judy called from her spot with the chickens, holding all of them at once.

"Gotta go, the boss is calling me." Declared Ed as he tapped Lorraines hip and walked over to his daughter.

"Can you hold Winston while I feed them dad?" Judy asked, already handing him the chick before he could answer.

"Oh so Winston the dog somehow transformed into a chicken I guess then?" Ed asked playfully as he held the chicken.

"No dad, he was always a chicken, I just didn't know it yet." Judy explained as she fed the other two chickens.

"Oh I see." Ed said as if everything made sense now.

About an hour later, Lorraine was calling them inside for dinner.

"Make sure you wash your hands well Judy." Lorraine reminded her.

"I know." Judy reassured as she used her stepping stool to reach the sink. 

Dinner went by quickly, Judy spoke a mile a minute about the chickens and how happy she was that she had them.

Judy quickly grew tired though, the excitement of the day finally getting to her as she could no longer suppress her yawns and it didn't take her parents long to notice.

"I think it's time for bed honey." Lorraine sighed as she stroked her daughters face. Judy would usually protest to going to bed early but she couldn't deny how tired she felt.

Ed lifted her easily into his arms and she instantly closed her tired eyes as she rested her head against his shoulder.

Lorraine got her to brush her teeth and changed her into her pyjamas and helped her into bed. Lorraine lifted the soft covers over Judy and tucked her in.

"Goodnight honey." Lorraine whispered as she kissed her forehead. 

"Night mommy, thank you for letting me get the baby chicks." Judy mumbled with her eyes closed.

"You're welcome darling, sweet dreams."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter contains sexual content so if that makes you uncomfortable please don’t read :)

the It always took Ed and Lorraine time to find each other again, to feel comfortable and open and themselves together. Not in the emotional or spiritual sense, those aspects of themselves could be sensed from miles away.

The physical aspect of their relationship had always felt like something they would never stop discovering.

The quiet yet noticeable steps each of them would take.

The tension rising as each of them inched towards each other, awaiting the beautiful reunion of their love.

It was never uncomfortable, it had always felt familiar and warm.

Yet there were times that they needed to relearn each other, take their time to get to know each other again.

Slowly but surely.

With all the ups and downs that they faced; the darkness, the despair and the outright fear, they sometimes forgot how to simply be with each other.

To live without fear or the pressures of helping everyone and anyone in need.

They needed to take time to go back to the basics of love.

And they did.

* * *

Ed walked through the front door of their cozy suburban home. He’d been out dropping Judy off at school and fetching a few things Lorraine asked him to get for dinner. 

He was welcomed home to the sound of the bath water running, the sound coming from his and Lorraine’s bathroom upstairs.

He placed the bags that he was currently holding in his arms onto the kitchen table and continued to empty the contents into their rightful places in the fridge and cabinets.

Once he was done he ventured upstairs to greet his wife.

He stepped into their bedroom where he noticed Lorraine’s discarded clothes laying in a pile on their bedroom floor.

He reached down and slowly gathered her rosey coloured chemise in his hands, the silk fabric gliding across his fingers as he admired the lace trim along the delicate neckline.

He gently brought it up to his nose and inhaled the familiar and soothing sent of his wife.

Something about the fragile undergarments of his wife always seemed to stir something up inside him, creating a pool of warmth deep in his stomach.

It made him think of all the times he was blessed enough to witness his beautiful wife in such scandalous attire.

Ed was snapped out of his little day dream by the sound of the stream of water filling up the bath coming to a halt.

He thought of walking in right at that moment; seeing his wife bare before him, yet he decided against it.

Lorraine had always been rather shy when it came to her exposed self.

She knew Ed had never had a problem with her physical appearance, rather the opposite actually. Yet the idea of being completely exposed to someone, even someone she loved had always made her feel quite vulnerable.

So Ed waited.

He waited until he heard the sensual sounds of his wife lowering herself into the water before he decided to make his presence known.

He slowly made his way across their room until he met the slightly ajar door of their bathroom.

He placed a hand on the wooden door and gently pushed it open.

The creak of the moving door caused Lorraine to jump a bit as her eyes shot open to reveal her husband standing in the doorway.

“Oh you scared me Ed!” She exclaimed, an embarrassed grin tugging at her pink lips as her cheeks flushed and she gazed up at him through her dark lashes.

“Sorry hon, I just heard the bath running and I thought i’d let you know I was home.” Ed explained simply without breaking eye contact with Lorraine.

“Okay darling. Was Judy nervous when you dropped her off? She had that presentation at school today.” Asked Lorraine as she brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees; watching her husband as he watched her.

“Uh she was alright, a little nervous maybe but she’ll do fine.” Ed mumbled as his hand reached up to loosen his tie unconsciously.

Lorraine nodded as she broke their prolonged yet comfortable eye contact to look down at the water as she swirled it around herself.

“Err, well i’m gonna go try to get some work done downstairs, is there anything you need before I leave?” Ed asked, secretly hoping she’d say yes so he could stay a little longer to admire her.

“Umm.” Lorraine pondered, worrying her lower lip in between her teeth as she thought.

“Could you pass me my bath salts? They’re in the cabinet under the sink.” She asked, shooting her husband a sweet smile making him chuckle.

“Yeah.” He mumbled with a grin as he walked over to the sink, crouching down to gather the requested item.

Once he found them he stood and walked back over to where Lorraine was waiting patiently.

Ed cleared his throat as he removed the lid of the sultry smelling bath salts and kneeled down next to the bathtub to slowly poor them around his wife.

Lorraine hummed quietly as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the end of the tub, her husbands presence comfortable and welcomed.

Ed watched her as she let the water dance around her, her face so calm and serene.

He wished he could take a photo of her like this; at peace and so beautiful.

He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, the tops of her breasts appearing and disappearing with each breath.

He observed the water droplets that gathered on her chest and neck, the water causing her collarbones to glisten.

He watched as her head slowly lulled side to side, the movements showing off the delicacy of her neck.

He wanted to kiss it, from her sharp yet gentle jawline, down her fragile neck and to her soft chest that called to him.

God he wanted to touch her so bad.

But he needed to give her time, they had done this so many times before, the familiar push and pull of a well rehearsed dance.

He was once again snapped out a reverie by his wife’s warm wet hand on his own.

“That’s enough.” Whispered Lorraine simply and it took Ed a moment to realize she’d been talking about the bath salts he’d been pouring.

“Right. Well i’ll be down in the office when you’re done okay?” Asked Ed as he continued to gaze at her.

“Yes darling that’s fine.” She assured with a soft smile.

Ed leaned down to leave a kiss on her soft warm cheek.

A quick peck on her cheek.

That was good, not too much or too fast.

“Okay love.” Ed whispered as he stood up and made his way out of the bathroom, shutting the door quietly on the way out.

He then made his way out of their bedroom and down the stairs to their office where they had piles of papers and files littered over their desk and other tables.

He sat down at the desk and tried to focus long enough to get something done, anything would be progress at this point.

But all he could do was think about his wife.

His wife who was upstairs in the bath, her soft curvy body soaking in warm water as she let all the tension she was carrying lift off her shoulders.

He needed to patient, she would come to him when she was ready, and like always he would welcome her with open arms.

* * *

Lorraine allowed her mind to wonder as she twirled the water around herself, her fingers gliding elegantly through the small waves. 

The thought of her husband and the quiet yet obvious invitation he had been giving her.

She thought of the way he loosened his tie at the sight of her, an action she’d always found enticing.

She thought of the flex of his strong arms as he poured the bath salts around her.

And she thought of his lips on her cheek and the tingling sensation it left afterwards.

She sighed audibly at the thought of her handsome husband.

She suddenly decided she didn’t want to be in her bath any longer so she quickly finished washing her hair and body.

She drained the water and made her way over to the sink as she wrapped a towel around her body and quickly rang out her hair with another.

She blow dried her hair and dropped the towel from around herself, hanging it up and walking out of the bathroom to retrieve her robe.

Once she secured it around her waist she made her way out of their bedroom and down towards their office where she knew Ed would be waiting for her. 

She paused outside of the door and took a breath.

She gave a quick, light knock and made her way inside without waiting for an invitation.

“Hi honey.” She greeted as she stepped inside, closing the door behind herself.

Ed was a bit caught off guard. He’d been too caught up in his own day dreams to hear the sounds of the bathroom and bedroom doors opening and closing.

His wife now stood before him. He noticed she had not redressed, something that was quite uncommon for Lorraine.

“Hey, you done already?” He asked lowly as he opened his arms; signalling for her to come closer. 

“Mhm.” She mumbled as she made her way over to him, placing her hands on hislarge shoulders as his own hands found her waist, gently pulling her to stand in between his legs. 

“Mm you smell good.” Ed mumbled gruffly, pulling her down into his lap as his head nuzzled her neck.

Lorraine wrapped an arm around his neck and planted a light kiss on his temple.

“Thank you.” She whispered with a slight gasp as she felt him press a kiss to her jawline.

“Honey.” She called lightly as to bring him back to reality.

“Mm yeah?” He stammered as his head lifted up from where it had been nuzzled in the crook of her neck.

“Weren’t you working?” Lorraine asked with a teasing grin as she took in her husbands flustered face.

“Uh yeah, I was going over this new file.” He gestured towards a manila coloured file that was resting upon their desk in front of them.

“You can go over it if you want.” Ed offered.

Lorraine gingerly pick up the file; opening it to began reading the reports.

As she was reading she noticed her husbands apparent lack of interest in simply sitting still.

His hands which were resting obediently at his sides found their way to her hips which were still resting upon his thighs.

His head dipped down to leave a trail of kisses along the length of her neck once again.

“Ed.” Lorraine warned breathlessly as his arms wrapped around her waist to pull her back against him fully.

“Hm?” Ed murmured against her shoulder that he had now exposed, her robe slowly falling open for him.

“I’m trying to read this honey.” She explained aimlessly as his hands found the tie at the front of her robe.

Lorraine’s hand shot up to cover his own before he could pull it open.

“I didn’t have time to get changed Ed.” Lorraine warned, her hand entwining with his own as Ed lifted it to plant a kiss on the top of her hand and then where her wedding ring rested on her finger.

“I know love.” Ed answered huskily as his free hand rubbed soothing circles across her belly, forgetting the knot of her robe if that’s what she wished.

“I just wanted to let you know.” Lorraine explained, her small hand finding his once again, leading it back up to the knot at the front of her robe.

He slowly untied it, Lorraine’s hand coming up behind Ed’s head to rest at the back of his neck, tangling in his hair.

Ed soon finished his mission of untangling the knot and opening the robe to reveal his wife’s perfect form.

Lorraine gasped as the cool air hit her skin.

Ed placed a large hand on her lower belly, continuing his line of kisses along her neck and jawline.

Lorraine leaned her head back to finally catch her husbands mouth in a sweet yet heated kiss.

“Mm,” Lorraine moaned lightly into the kiss causing Ed to smirk against her lips.

Ed’s hand that had been resting on her soft belly slowly ventured further south causing Lorraine’s breath to hitch as his fingers stopped just above her most delicate parts.

“Okay?” Ed asked permission before moving forward.

“Mhm.” Lorraine moaned out as her head nodded quickly, her thighs dropping open slightly as an open invitation for husband to venture further.

Ed’s hand slowly felt it’s way downward until he was met with the feeling of his wife’s wetness.

Ed and Lorraine both moaned simultaneously at the welcomed feeling.

“Mmm Ed.” Lorraine whined at her husbands lack of movement.

“Sorry.” Ed chuckled at his wife’s notorious impatience.

His fingers explored further, spreading her wetness as he went, making those tiny little circles on her bundle of nerves, his other hand coming down to rest on her hip; holding her still as her hips started to buck up against his working fingers.

“Mmm, oh Ed.” Lorraine gasped as her hand clutched the back of his head.

Her other hand moving down to grasp the wrist of his moving hand.

“Ed honey, I-“ Her breath hitched as she threw her head back against Ed’s shoulder.

Her breath was coming out in high pitched sighs, her hips moving in time with his fingers as she tilted her head meet his lips once again.

Ed’s hand that was clutching her hip cane up to wrap around her slender neck, guiding their kiss.

“Baby i’m- ohh, i’m so close.” She moaned breathlessly against his mouth.

“I’ve got you hon.” Ed reassured as his fingers sped up and applied more pressure.

“Oh, ahh- mmnm.” Lorraine gasped, her hands scratching at him as her hips bucked sporadically against his hand, his other coming down to keep her her somewhat still.

His mouth came up to leave light kisses on her cheek and neck as his fingers helped her ride out her orgasm.

“Mmm, uh uh.” She soon grumbled, her hands coming down to push his hand away from her over stimulated flesh.

“Sorry.” Ed apologized lightly as he continued to litter soft kisses all over her flushed face.

“S’okay.” She mumbled incoherently with her eyes closed and a serene smile on her lips.

Ed let out a soft laugh, his body shaking Lorraine’s slightly.

It was only then once the fog of her orgasm cleared that Lorraine noticed the hard bulge she had been moving against the entire time.

Her breath began to grow rapid once again.

She quickly stood up to turn around, situating herself back on his lap, this time facing him with her thighs straddling his hips.

Ed grasped her hips, urging her closer to him; their bodies pressed against each other as his hands guided her to move against him.

They both moaned at the mutual friction they were receiving.

Lorraine wrapped her arms around Ed’s shoulders as she leaned forward, her chest heaving against his own.

“God Lorraine.” Ed huffed out against her neck.

“Oh, it feels- Mnmm, so good baby.” Lorraine moaned into his ear causing his grip on her hips to tighten and the speed of her hips to quicken.

Suddenly Lorraine halted her movements to reach down in between them to toy with the buttons of her husbands pants.

Her shaky hands struggled for a moment before Ed gently took over and Lorraine moved her hands further up to pop open each button of her husbands dress shirt one by one.

Once his shirt was open Lorraine quickly removed it from his shoulders and smirked at the image in front of her.

She trailed her hands down from his shoulders to his chest and all the way down to where the waistband of his dress pants still remained.

Lorraine once again clambered off her husbands lap to let him remove the last articles of clothing which were keeping them apart.

Once they were discarded, Lorraine situated herself back on his lap. His hands finding the backs of her thighs as she aligned him with her entrance.

“Mm, ready?” Lorraine hummed at the feeling of his member brushing up against her.

“Yes honey.” Ed responded with a groan, his self control wavering as she held herself just centimetres away from him.

Just a moment later Lorraine sank down and they both let out a contented sigh.

“I missed you.” Ed groaned out as his hands once again found her rounded hips which slowly started to move back and forth against him.

“I missed you- hmm too honey.” Lorraine managed to get out in between sighs and moans.

They moved together in synchronization, their sounds of pleasure filling the room as they relished in each other.

Lorraine’s hand moved between them to stimulate the small bundle of nerves just above where they were connected.

Ed could tell when Lorraine was beginning to come undone on top of him.

Her tiny yet strong hands found his shoulders, holding herself upright as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Her head fell back as her hips moved in rapid, uncoordinated jerks.

Her breaths came out in high pitched sighs as her hands grasped his shoulders, her nails digging into him as her internal walls started fluttering around him.

“Hmm, Ed i- Mmm, i’m gonna c-“ Her incoherent sentence was cut off by a final jerk of her hips, her lips parted as they created an ‘oh’ shape.

She clung to him as her hips rolled in lazy circles, trying to come down from her high.

Ed secured his arms around her, holding her against him as he planted tiny kisses along her face and neck.

“You back yet?” Asked Ed quietly as he tucked some of her fallen hair behind her ear.

She gave a small smile as she nodded, her eyes shut peacefully as she rested against him.

Once she’s opened her eyes, she raised her head to lock lips with her husband, his insistent hardness not going unnoticed.

He found her hips once again as she dropped her arms around his shoulders.

He guided her through the movements, chasing his own release.

He tucked his head into the crook of her neck and left a line of sloppy kisses as she moved smoothly on top of him.

“God Lorraine.” Ed groaned as his fingers squeezed into her hips, his own bucking up into her as his own impending release came rushing to the surface.

Lorraines fingers bringing her to the edge for the third time that day as her husband held her firmly against him.

They both fell over the edge together, allowing the pleasure to consume them together.

Once they both returned from their dazed high, they locked eyes, a shy yet comfortable smile taking over Lorraine’s face as she let out a small laugh.

“That was much needed.” Hummed Lorraine, her giddy smile remaining on her face as her hand traced the side of Ed’s face.

Ed turned his head to leave a kiss on the palm of her hand.

“And much overdue.” Added Ed, a teasing smile in his lips.

“Mm, we’ve been too busy.” Mumbled Lorraine as she pressed herself into Ed, her arms wrapping around him as he mimicked her actions, hugging her back.

His hand found her hair, his fingers tangling in it as they sat in comfortable silence.

After a few moments Lorraine began to stand up, disconnecting them in the process.

“Where are you off to?” Ed asked with a low groan, watching her bend over to retrieve her robe.

“I have to pee.” Lorraine giggled as she fastened her robe, eyeing her husband as he redressed into his pants.

“Right, that’s what you always say.” Ed mocked.

“I think you just want to get away from me.” Ed continued, a sarcastic grin taking over his face as he gazed at his wife.

“Oh hush you.” Lorraine laughed as she playfully slapped his arm.

A few minutes later they found themselves in their living room, Lorraine reading as Ed sat at his isle; a new painting slowly coming to life.

They enjoyed each other’s company, talking about whatever came up; Judy, a case they’ve worked on, a possible family trip.

They were always good at this: finding each other; finding home in one another.


	9. Chapter 9

*trigger warning for brief descriptions of anxiety*

 

Ed was always her rock. Her eye of the storm.

He held her hand and lead the way when she felt lost and he brought her back to their beautiful reality when she couldn't seem to see beyond the darkness that overwhelmed her at times.

He was always strong for her.

But ever since those eight days. Those damned eight days that he couldn't seem to move past no matter how hard he tried. No matter how healthy his wife was, no matter how much she smiled and laughed, there was always a part of him that was terrified that his wife would be consumed by the darkness once again.

She could always tell when he became lost in those dark thoughts. She would always try to reassure him to the best of her abilities that it would never happen again.

It was true that each time Lorraine dealt with an entity it took a piece of her but it was also true that each time she was able to find the strength within herself to overcome it.

It had been nearly a month since Lorraine left their room. Ed had never been so scared in his life and he was not afraid to admit it.

The thought of losing Lorraine nearly drove him mad. The only thing keeping him sane was knowing that Judy needed him.

But now Lorraine was back.

His Lorraine.

The Lorraine who's smile lit up the room and when she laughed the entire world seemed to move in slow motion.

Not the Lorraine with the vacant look in her no longer sparkling blue eyes, not the one that was torn away from her family and was forced to suffer in isolation.

He had his Lorraine back, she laughed and smiled and held onto him at night as they fell asleep.

So why couldn't he keep the dark thoughts at bay? Why couldn't he get the cold ominous feeling out of his chest?

* * *

It was late at night and Lorraine was preparing for bed as Ed entered their room after putting Judy to bed.

Lorraine was sitting up against the headboard watching Ed as he changed for bed. He changed into his soft white t-shirt and grey sweatpants, he tucked his cross into his shirt with a vacant look on his face and Lorraine could tell that he was becoming lost in his thoughts once again. 

"Ed." Lorraine called softly but Ed continued to stare ahead into nothingness.

"Ed honey, come to bed." Lorraine spoke a bit louder, this time catching his attention.

He turned to look at her. His beautiful wife, she looked at him with an understanding smile on her soft face that was illuminated by the dimmed light of their room.

"Sorry." He whispered as he made his way towards his awaiting wife. He climbed into bed and made sure he lifted the covers over the both of them.

"Are you warm enough?" He asked as he wrapped a strong arm around Lorraine and she molded herself into his side, nuzzling her nose into his neck as she inhaled his familiar scent.

"Yes honey." She reassured with a soft smile on her face as her eyes drifted shut.

Ed stared at the ceiling. He could never find sleep easily as of late. He never suffered from insomnia before, but those eight days changed that.

Usually all he needed was his wife by his side and he was out like a light. But now as he stared at the ceiling he tried to control his breathing as his heart rate started to pick up.

He knew it wouldn't take Lorraine long to notice. She was a light sleeper and she could always sense his discomfort.

He turned his head towards his wife and tried to find comfort in her peaceful face.

She was okay.

Lorraine was with him and she was okay.

So why wasn't he?

His heart rate didn't want to cooperate.

He inhaled the scent of his wife's hair, the familiar action usually bringing him peace but that seemed to fail too.

"Ed honey you're okay. I'm right here." Lorraine whispered without opening her eyes. Her small warm hand drawing circles on his chest in a effort to calm his mind.

At the sound of her voice his breathing started to slow and his heartbeat returned to a much more reasonable pace. The verbal reassurance that his wife was safe brought him peace.

He hugged her tighter to him.

Bringing them close enough that they couldn't differentiate where one body started and the other ended.

With the circles that Lorraine continued to draw on his chest and the feeling of her body warming his own, he fell into a restless sleep.

It was dark and hot.

Too hot.

He couldn't see anything and he was lost. Where was he? How did he get there? Why was it so damn hot? He was confused and alone.

He felt like a little boy again, when he couldn't control his fears, when he allowed them to have power over him. He started to walk, hoping to find light, to find anything.

He couldn't leave. He was stuck.

He felt as though he was going to faint. It was growing hotter by the second and the darkness was closing in on him.

And then he heard it.

A small but familiar whimper.

He couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

"Hello?" He called out.

He heard it again. A whimper of a child.

He started forward. Determined to find where these whimpers were coming from. 

"Mommy!" This time he heard it loud and clear.

It wasn't just any child.

It was his child. It was Judy and she was crying, she was crying for her mother.

He stared running, the sounds of Judy's cries becoming more persistent.

"Mommy wake up!" He could hear the fear in her small voice.

Ed no longer cared about the excruciating heat. He needed to find his wife and Judy.

"Daddy where are you?" Judy cried out.

"Judy!" Ed tried yelling.

All the sudden Judy was in front of him. She was shivering and crying. He didn't know how she appeared there in front of him but that didn't matter right now.

"Judy. You're okay, i'm here now." He reassured in an attempt to calm her as he lifted the small child into his arms feeling how cold she was against him.

"What's wrong with mommy?" Judy lifted her head to look him in the eyes.

"Where is she?" He asked her. She motion for him to put her down.

He placed her on the ground and she took his hand, her ice cold fingers wrapping around his. She lead him through the darkness, the whimpers never stopping.

All the sudden they were in front of a door.

His bedroom door.

He looked down at Judy who was looking up at him expectingly.

He trepidatiously opened the door to find his wife.

His wife beaten and bruised. She laid there on their bed. She was dressed in a long white nightgown. Her face was sunken in and her hair was knotted. Her arms and neck covered in burns and bruises.

The sight made him sick.

He approached her and kneeled beside the bed. Her eyes were closed, almost as if she were sleeping. But her cheeks didn't have the rosy hue they usually did when she slept and her chest failed to rise and fall.

He was no longer hot.

That awful ominous cold feeling was creeping back and filling up his chest.

Something was wrong.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and lightly shook her.

"Lorraine wake up." He whispered, trying to sound hopeful as he looked over to his daughter that was starting to sob.

"Lorraine!" He practically yelled as he shook her again. He placed a hand over her heart.

Nothing.

Not one beat as opposed to his heart that was now in his throat.

"Daddy help her!" Judy screamed.

"I can't!" He cried.

"LORRAINE!" He screamed.

Her nightgown was torn and dirty, it was covered in blood.

He was hyperventilating.

Judy was sobbing.

Lorraine wasn't breathing.

This must be hell.

He was sure that nothing could be worse than this.

He was in his own personal hell.

"Ed."

"Ed wake up."

He heard her.

“Ed you need to wake up!" He woke with a gasp.

He couldn't breathe.

His head snapped over to his wife. She saw how his breathing wouldn't calm.

"Ed breathe." Lorraine instructed, attempting to calm him.

He could only shake his head.

"I'm here Ed. I'm right here, nothing's wrong, you were just dreaming." She took his face into her small hands and made him face her. 

“Don't let it get to you. We're both safe Ed." She stated as she brought their foreheads to touch.

"You died." He spoke in a shaky voice as he held onto her hands that were holding his head for dear life.

"No I didn't. You were dreaming. You had a horrible dream and you couldn't wake up." She explained in a soft but firm tone. 

"Judy found you, she was petrified and I wasn't there for her. I wasn't there for either of you." He explained in a pained voice.

"Ed it wasn't real. You're awake now and we're all perfectly fine. Okay? Just breath for me love." Lorraine spoke as she stroked his neck, the repetitive movement calming him.

"I know I scared you when I locked myself away, but you cannot blame yourself for that. You had no way of knowing it was going to happen. You did not fail me Ed. You could never fail me." Lorraine finally said after a few minutes of her silently stroking her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck.

"I should've been with you." He whispered once his heart rate returned to normal, the images of his dream slipping away.

"I wanted to be alone, I needed to be." Lorraine explained.

He nodded.

They stayed in silence for a few moments, he clung to her as if his life depended on it, and maybe in a way it did.

"Do you want to try to go to sleep?" Lorraine asked gently, not wanting his state of calm to be undone.

He nodded once again.

They laid back down and Ed brought Lorraine to him, practically lifting her to lay on his chest, not wanting to be separated for a second.

He hated feeling this way. He was supposed to be the one soothing and calming her, not the other way around. He was supposed to be strong for her.

"It's okay to be afraid sometimes, everyone gets afraid, you don't have to be ashamed of it." Lorraine said once she felt Ed was calm enough to listen and actually hear her words.

"I know. I just can't help but feel weak." He said, mostly to himself if he were being honest.

"You're not weak. You had a very realistic nightmare of your family suffering and you reacted the way anyone else would. That doesn't make you weak, it just makes you human." Lorraine whispered  firmly.

Ed only sighed and kissed her head.

The next morning Ed woke to the feeling of small feet stepping on him.

He opened his eyes to see a four year old Judy manoeuvring her way between her parents with her her stuffed baby pink bunny tucked under her arm.

"Well hello." Ed greeted as Judy crawled underneath his arm that was resting across Lorraine.

"Daddy shhh, you have to be quiet." Judy explained as she settled herself and her stuffed rabbit in between her parents.

The movement roused Lorraine out of her sleep and she opened her eyes just long enough to register her daughter next to her and wrap a tired arm around her.

"Hi mommy." Judy said in a whisper.

"Hi honey." Lorraine said with a slight laugh, her eyes not opening.

Judy smiles at her mother and brought a little hand up to lightly poke her mother's nose, causing her to laugh harder, her nose crinkling in the adorable way that Ed loves. Lorraine kissed Judy softly on her mess of dark hair as Judy laid her head against Lorraine's chest.

Ed watched the scene before him in utter contentment. All he could ever want was right in front of him.

The two loves of his life.

They're all happy and they're all together, as long as they had that, nothing could hurt them.


	10. Chapter 10

"Dad when am I gonna get a brother or sister?" Judy asked her father without looking up from where she was drawing a picture at the kitchen table.

"What do you mean?" Ed asked with a confused and somewhat nervous chuckle as he looked over his shoulder from his place standing by the kitchen counter.

"My friend Anna from school is getting a baby brother, her parents told her a couple days ago. Her Mom is pregnant and everything." Judy explained with wide eyes.

"Wow." Ed responded with a fake look of surprise.

"She wanted a little sister more but her Mom and Dad chose to have a boy I guess." Judy explained with a shrug as she focused on her drawing.

"I see." Ed nodded, amused by his daughters explanation of the inner workings of the wonder that is pregnancy.

"Look Dad, this is our family when Mom has a baby." Judy explained as she held up her drawing which showed the three of them along with an extra member, a tiny one at that.

Ed sat down next to his daughter and examined the drawing.

"It's a wonderful drawing honey but unfortunately I can't decide wether or not you'll get a little brother or sister." Ed said looking down at his daughters puzzled face.

"Why not? Can't Mommy just have one and then we have to wait for her tummy to get really big?" Judy asked as if she already knew she were correct.

"Uh not quite." Ed mumbled, not exactly wanting to explain how babies come to be to his five year old daughter, deciding that Lorraine would be much better at this kind of thing.

"You'll have to ask your mother about that." Ed stated, patting Judy on the head as he stood up once again.

"But it's not fair Dad, everyone else in my class has brothers and sisters, I want one too." Judy said with a sad expression on her face, her eyebrows furrowed together to create her best puppy dog eyes.

"Honey, no one can just decide to have a baby, it's not up to us, it's up to God to decide, so if he thinks that we should have a baby in this family then that is what will happen, but for now we just have to appreciate what we have now, right?" Ed said, hoping he chased away the rest of his daughters curious questions.

"I guess." Mumbled Judy, resting her cheek on her hand with a pout on her face as she started a new drawing.

* * *

 

Later that night, Ed was putting Judy to bed. He tucked her in and made sure she had all of her favourite stuffed animals to sleep with.

"I want Timothy the turtle too." Judy said, staring up at her father expectingly.

"Uhh which one is that again?" Ed asked looking at the rest of the pile of stuffed animals that sat at the foot of her bed.

"It's the turtle Dad, it's in the name." Judy explained as if she were the parent speaking to the child.

"Ah okay, I gotcha." Ed sighed as his eye caught the green turtle that sat in the large pile of toys. He tucked it under her little arm along with her other five strategically chosen fluffy friends.

"Is that all for tonight?" Ed asked as he watched his daughter situate all the stuffed toys to lay underneath the blankets along with her.

"Yup." She responded, gazing back up at him.

"Alright then, you go to sleep now." He said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face to kiss her forehead.

"Love you honey." Ed said as he started to get up.

"Daddy make sure you ask Mommy about the baby." Judy reminded him.

Ed was about to explain to Judy that neither Lorraine nor him could simply choose to have a baby, but the hopeful look on her face had him bitting his tongue.

"Okay, i'll ask her, but no promises." Ed responded.

With that, Ed walked down the hallway towards his shared bedroom, making sure to check all the locks on the doors and windows and double checking the occult museum locks.

Once he was finished locking up he made his way to his bedroom. He opened the door to see his wife getting ready for bed.

Her hair was still mildly damp from her shower and her face was clean of makeup; she never looked more beautiful.

"She all tucked in?" Lorraine asked without turning to face him, too busy rubbing sweet smelling lotion onto her arms and legs.

"Yeah, all tucked in with her army of animals." Ed said walking over to his dresser.

Lorraine laughed as she pulled back the covers and crawled into bed, sitting up against the headboard as she watched Ed walk in and out of their bathroom as he got ready for bed.

"She was talking about how her friend at school is getting a baby brother." He explained as he crawled into bed beside her, pulling her close as soon as she laid down.

"Oh yeah? What she say?" Lorraine asked as Ed wrapped his arms around her waist, tugging on her hips so her back lay snug against his hard chest.

"She asked when she was going to get a sibling." He answered with a teasing smile as he tucked his face into her neck, inhaling her scent.

"Uh oh, what did you say?" Lorraine asked, she knew Judy might ask about siblings eventually, her and Ed had married young, as soon as Ed was back from fighting in the navy they tied the knot. A couple weeks later she found out she was pregnant. It wasn't planned but it happened, and she was glad it did.

Her and Ed never really discussed having more kids, sure she's thought of it and it was a nice thought, she always loved the idea of a noisy house. One noisy enough to keep all the darkness away, no ghost or evil spirit would be naive enough to think they could walk into a house with a whole bunch of tiny Ed and Lorraine's running around.

Lorraine smiled at the thought.

The idea was pleasant enough, but they never really considered it, they've been on the go working since she could remember.

"I told her it wasn't up to me." Ed grumbled into her hair, sleep starting to take over, the warm feeling of his wife and her sweet scent lulling him into a peaceful sleep.

"Oh thanks, so it's all up to me to break the news to her." Lorraine complained sarcastically, snuggling in closer to him to show she wasn't truly annoyed.

"It wouldn't be the worst thing." He pondered as she felt him smooth a hand over her stomach, tracing small soothing circles the way he used to when she was pregnant with Judy.

"What wouldn't be the worst thing?" Lorraine asked quietly into the dark, already knowing the answer.

"Having another baby, I mean it's ultimately up to you but, i'm just saying, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world." Ed said simply as he continued to rub circles on her flat belly as if he truly believed there was a baby inside.

"No, it wouldn't be the worst thing." Lorraine spoke mostly to herself, placing a hand on top of Ed's much larger one.

"I mean I guess we could maybe try for another baby, give Judy a sibling, someone to play with; to entertain while we're away on cases." Lorraine thought out loud as she trailed a small foot up and down Ed's leg.

"You really serious?" Ed asked, the thought of sleep forgotten at the prospect of possible a life changing decision.

"I think so." Lorraine answered mattered of factly.

"Well then Mrs. Warren, we better get a move on." Ed said as he started to climb on top of Lorraine, causing her to giggle.

"Oh nonono, not tonight Mr. Warren, we've got to get to sleep, it's past our bed time." Lorraine said teasingly.

"Alright then, you're the boss." Ed said as he settled back down behind Lorraine.

"Goodnight Honey." Lorraine sighed.

"Goodnight." Ed responded as he kissed her cheek and they both fell into a peaceful sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

It was Christmas Eve and Ed and Lorraine had just tucked Judy into bed. It had been a near catastrophe trying to get Judy to settle down. Christmas was her favourite time of year and the thought of it being so close had her bouncing off the walls with excitement.

"Okay, you have to go to sleep or Santa won't come." Reminded Lorraine as she finally got Judy to lay down in her bed.

"But what if I can't fall asleep?" Worried Judy with a slight look of panic in her eyes at the thought of Santa being disappointed in her.

"Well you just gotta try really hard okay? And make sure you stay in bed." Lorraine explained.

"Okay." Judy pouted as she ducked her head under the covers.

"Goodnight my love." Lorraine whispered as she stood up from the bed to leave the bedroom.

"Night Mommy." Mumbled Judy from her spot under the covers.

Once Lorraine was outside the bedroom she made sure to shut the door, not wanting to disturb her daughters attempt to fall asleep.

She came to find Ed sitting in the living room with a pile of Christmas presents scattered around him.

"She asleep?" He asked as he heard her walk in.

"She will be soon." Lorraine answered; eyeing all the gifts.

"Did you eat the cookies and the carrots she left out?" Asked Lorraine.

Ed shot her a thumbs up to communicate his answer.

"Shall we get started then?" Asked Lorraine as Ed stood from his spot on the couch.

"We shall." Ed answered.

They both started placing presents under the tree, trying their best to keep quiet.

For the next half hour they spent their time placing and rearranging the gifts under the tree.

In reality it was really more Ed rearranging the gifts at Lorraine's request but he didn't complain.

"Alright I think we're done here Mrs. Warren." Ed says with a knowing smirk as he walks over towards his wife who was finally content with the state of the Christmas presents under the tree.

"I think you're right." Lorraine answers back as she wrapped her arms around Ed's neck.

He tilts his head down to kiss her forehead.

"Merry almost Christmas." Ed whispered causing Lorraine to let out a laugh.

"Hey, hey shh. We don't want to have to explain the wonder that is Mr. Clause the night before Christmas do we?" He asks sarcastically.

"No I suppose you're right." Lorraine answered, leaning up to give him a kiss.

"You should dress up as Santa next year." Lorraine suggested in between kisses.

"Last time I did that Judy cried for an hour." Ed reminded her as he held her firmly against him, finding comfort in her warmth.

"She was just a baby then, she'd love it now." She whispered as Ed continued to kiss her, trailing kisses down her neck.

"Hey not here, like you said we don't want to wake her." Lorraine giggled as she gently pulls her head away.

"If I had the costume she could say she saw Mommy kissing Santa Clause." Ed says smartly.

"Mm very funny." Lorraine hums.

"Let's go to bed Mrs. Clause." Ed says as he swept Lorraine into his arms and carried her to their bedroom.

* * *

The next morning Judy woke before the birds. She checked the clock on her night stand to see that it was only five in the morning but she couldn't contain her excitement. 

She needed to wake her parents and see what Santa left.

She climbed out of bed and walked out of her room straight towards the kitchen. Once there she used her stepping stool to check the plate of cookies and carrots she left for Santa and the reindeer.

A gasp left her mouth at the sight of the empty plate.

She quickly hopped off of the bench and ran towards her parents room, needing to inform them about Santa's visit.

She pushed open the door to see her parents still asleep.

She climbed up and clumsily walked across the both of them. She sat herself in between them and shook each of their shoulders.

"Mommy, Daddy, wake up! Santa came, and he ate the cookies!" She spoke excitedly in a hushed whisper.

"What time is it?" Ed grumbled as he rubbed his eyes, still half asleep.

"Five a.m." Lorraine sighed.

"You wake up earlier every year don't you?" Ed asked his daughter who was beaming down at them.

"Dad come on! We have to go see what Santa left!" Judy said, bouncing up and down.

"Okay, okay. Don't get your hopes up though, he might've just come for the cookies." Ed teased.

"Ed." Lorraine warned, gently nraising an eyebrow at him.

"Let's go." Ed said scooping up his daughter into his arms.

The three of them walked out towards the living room. The moment they rounded the corner Judy was squirming to be let down.

"Mommy look! Look at all the presents Santa left!" Judy exclaimed as she ran towards the Christmas tree.

"I see, he must've seen you being so good this year." Lorraine said as she sat at the couch along with Ed.

"Can I open them now?" Judy asked without taking her eyes off the gifts.

"Yes Honey." Lorraine answered with a laugh.

Judy sprung forward and ran towards the gifts, she grabbed the closest one to her and ripped it open the large box.

"Mommy look! It's a new dollhouse! It's the exact one I asked for in my letter!" Judy exclaimed with pure joy.

"It's beautiful honey, we can put it in your room later on." Lorraine answered as she moved closer to Ed as he wrapped an arm around her.

After about thirty minutes Judy was sitting in a circle of wrapping paper playing with her new favourite toys.

"You all done?" Ed asked as he smiled down at his daughter.

"Uh, I think so." Judy answerd as she ducked down to look behind the tree.

"Wait! There's one more! Santa brought a present for you Mommy!" Judy informed as she carried out a present bag in her little arms.

"Oh he did, did he?" Lorraine asked with a surprised smirk on her face as she shot Ed a look. 

"I thought we decided that Santa wasn't going to bring Mommy and Daddy presents this year." Lorraine mumbled looking at Ed.

"I guess Santa changed his mind." Ed answered smugly.

"Mm, I guess so." Lorraine responded as she took the present from Judy's hands.

Lorraine peaked into the bag and removed the tissue paper to see a velvet jewelry box.

"What is it Mommy?" Judy asked from her seat on the floor in front of her parents.

"I don't know. How about you open it with me?" Lorraine suggested.

"Okay." Judy said as she crawled onto Lorraine's lap.

Lorraine placed hers and Judy's hands onto the box and slowly lifted it open.

Judy gasped at the sparkles that expanded from within the box. Inside was a silver ring with the letters E+L engraved on the inside of the band topped with a sparkling diamond.

"Mommy look, it's an E and L for you and Daddy!" Judy exclaimed and turned her head to look at her mother.

Lorraine looked over to her husband who was inspecting her reaction carefully.

"It's beautiful honey." Lorraine spoke to her husband.

"Yeah? Santa did a good job?" Ed asked sarcastically.

"Yes he did." Lorraine laughed as she reached up to kiss her husband.

"Thank you love." Lorraine whispered to Ed.

"Merry Christmas hon." Ed said.

"Merry Christmas." Lorraine answered.


End file.
